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Shout Victory!!! Song: 1. You alone is worthy Lord to be praise and adore (2x) 2. Do it, come and do it for me (2x) 3. I am a winner in the Lord Jesus (2x) When people are first filled with the Holy Spirit they become aware of God’s goodness in a new way: how wonderful and kind and loving He is. It sometimes isn’t very long, however, before this new joy in God’s love begins to be eroded and questioned as older pictures of God crowd it out. It is not only the older pictures of God that crowd the knowledge of His goodness out. The circumstance of life also does. The troubles and tribulations that has become a recurring decimal in the equation of life are crowding out the reality of the goodness of God. Economic stagnation and political misdirection are not helping matters. The decline, serious decline in moral values is assuming a new and dangerous trend as legalisation of ungodliness and standardisation of sin continue to chase human society like a white ghost. A recent survey show that millions of people still go to bed hungry every night. While scientists are still claiming that they are advancing, sickness and disease are claiming human lives in millions on a daily basis. It is understandable that in every century, at the hour of truth, even Christians have asked themselves a tormenting question: How to continue to trust in a God who is supposed to be a merciful Father, in a God who as the New Testament reveals – is meant to be love itself, when suffering, injustice, sickness, and death seem to dominate the larger history of the world as well as our smaller daily lives. The search for the answer to that question may lead to some theological cross-roads. We are talking about ‘moving on in the Spirit’ and it is enough for us to understand that we have a spiritual enemy who doesn’t want us to have a smooth ride and who doesn’t want us to reach our destination. Let us consider how he might try to interfere with us. Imagine a man who is about to mount his horse and ride to bring an important message to the mayor of the next town. And imagine further that there is someone who wants to stop that message from getting through. How might he, without undue violence, accomplish that? For a start, he might try to persuade the messenger that horses are dangerous. He may tell him that his mother saw a man kicked by a horse once – he spent six months in the hospital. ‘Horses are nasty animals,’ he might say, ‘I’d stay away from them if I were you.’ But this little plan fails, and the man is determined to mount. So his adversary tries to persuade him to climb into the saddle the wrong way round, facing the horse’s tail! The messenger is too smart for this, though, and gets properly seated on the horse’ back, his feet in the stirrups, and gathers the reins into his hand. What now? ‘Ahah!’ says the enemy, ‘I will aim him in the wrong direction! The town he wants to reach is in South, I will convince him he should ride north!’ That didn’t work! ‘Well, then I will just stand in his way. I won’t let him get past,’ says the deceiver. ‘Oops!’ The rider almost rode him down, but he has got one last trick up his sleeve! As the horse goes by, the villain gives it terrific slaps on the sides, so that the animal begins to run wild. ‘Ah, if only he will keep running like that! If only that the horse, when he gets to his destination, will just run like mad through the town; everyone will think the rider is reckless or crazy, and then they won’t believe what he has to tell them!’ So the enemy tries to interfere with our journey. He tries to steal good things from us by telling us they are dangerous or wrong. If that fails, he attempts to get us aimed in the wrong direction, to do things from wrong motives. And if we don’t fall short for that, he just tries to get in the way, to stir up trouble for us if he can. But if all else fails, he tries to get us to go out of control; to be over enthusiastic that we frighten people, and they fail to see that we have something wonderful to tell them. Whatever trouble you passed through last year might be one of those strategies of the evil one to stop you from reaching your glorious destination. Do not look back. Move on! The Apostle Paul lived in horrible circumstances, but he refused to be defeated, or even discouraged. Because he trusted God and had learned to be content regardless of his situation, Paul was able to rejoice in the Lord and be at peace. Happiness on this earth does not depend on our circumstances. If it did, many of us would be in trouble. There is a big difference in the way unhappy and happy persons treat their circumstances. One person suffers under them, but the other person stands on top of them and shouts, ‘I’ve won!’ Paul learned the secret. He decided that God was on his side! What a partner! And since God was on his side, it didn’t matter to Paul who or what was against him (Romans 8:31). Paul believed in God’s love; therefore, to him everything that happened was a blessing from God. So whatever occurred, Paul climbed up on top and shouted, ‘Victory!’ Paul attracted trouble. The majority of the unsaved didn’t like what he said – or how he said it. His former associates wanted him dead. His new Christian friends often turned their heads whenever he was in trouble. What was Paul’s reaction to all these? He knew that Jesus was at God’s right hand. What did he see Jesus doing? Paul said, ‘He is praying for me’, “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34). And since he knew that, he mocked troubles, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, hardship or even sword could do only one thing - help him! “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Paul wasn’t just a conqueror. He was more than that, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) . Why? He knew how much Jesus loved him! This is the difference between people who live on top of them. Paul was so exuberant in his faith that he claimed victory over: angels, principalities, powers, the future, big problems, little problems and even anything ever created, “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37) That is the secret, dear friends. Our confidence in God’s love decides our reaction to every experience if life. If we believe God loves us, and pay close attention to everything that happens to us, we shout, ‘Victory’ at every turn of events. So let’s keep our balance as we move on in the Spirit, at the right pace, in the right direction, at the right time and in the right way. God bless you Evang. John B. Oseh |